


The Edge of Dawn

by knightofsuperior



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Persona 5
Genre: AU, Considering it involves a certain character from the endgame, Crossover, Persona 5 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-07-17
Packaged: 2020-06-30 02:37:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19843813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knightofsuperior/pseuds/knightofsuperior
Summary: Ren Amamiya was expelled from the Leicester Alliance for a crime he didn't commit. Fate transpired to allow him to serve his sentence as a student for the Officer's Academy. He thought that would be the end of it.Fate also has a way of twisting and turning when one least expects it.





	The Edge of Dawn

“So, let’s recap.” Sojiro crossed his arms as he walked, attempting his best “parental” glare-it didn’t work too much with Futaba, but he hadn’t tried it on the kid as of yet.  _ No time like the present, _ he supposed. “We’re going to go to the Church first. We’ll get your Student ID and all your textbooks. Then, we’ll greet the teachers and they’ll help us figure out a House for you.” He shook his head, a sigh escaping his lips. “Thanks to that stunt you pulled, the Alliance doesn’t want anything to do with you directly-but from what I hear, the kid running the House isn’t much for traditional order, so he may let you in. I would gun for either the Empire or the Kingdom if I were you-at least there, no one knows who you are.”

“I understand.” Ren’s eyes were locked on his feet. He didn’t want to look at any of the passersby any more than he had to-he could already feel their stares on him. News didn’t travel fast from the Alliance compared to the other countries-its size made it difficult for information to disseminate easily, and unlike the Empire and Faerghus, it didn’t have a national newspaper. After all, too many states resided within the Alliance to have one unified voice...an ironic reality, all things considered. 

All the same, it felt like they knew somehow. Like they could just sense that he was-

His vision suddenly went dark, and he barely registered the “Look out!” from Sojiro before felt himself come to a full stop. 

“Whoa, there!” Ren glanced up as someone in monks’ robes stood before him. Was it a student, maybe? A teacher, possibly-he didn’t see any specific color on the figure’s clothes. He could feel the figure’s hands on his shoulders, dusting them off. “Sorry about that! I guess I should’ve looked where I was going!” The figure stepped back, her hood sliding down, revealing a woman with a scraggly mess of grey hair and a pallid complexion.

Ren hoped he wasn’t responsible for either.

“I’m sorry about him,” Sojiro began. “He’s-”

“-no problem at all! Accidents happen.” The woman held out her hand, grinning. “Hi there! I’m Issa-the religious studies teacher here at the Officer’s Academy. I heard we were getting a new student! It’s nice to meet you.”

Ren, cautiously, took Issa’s hand. “Nice to meet you too,” he mumbled. 

Issa glanced around at the nearby students. They all seemed to be whispering to one another. A frown formed on her face. “Gossip-hounds, the lot of them. Don’t worry too much,” she said, letting go of Ren’s hand.

“R-right. Thank you.” 

“Thank you, Professor.” Sojiro offered a gentle smile-one that Ren hadn’t seen in the twelve hours he’d known the man. As far as he could tell, Sojiro fancied himself a lady-killer, so it made some sense. “Would you be able to direct us to the Church? Lady Rhea is expecting us, and we’d hate to keep her waiting.”

“Just hang a right here, actually!” Issa pointed to her left-their right, Ren supposed. “It’s the big building with the stained-glass windows, you can’t-”

Before she could continue, Ren’s breath hitched.

“Kid? Are you okay?” Sojiro asked. “Fly caught in your throat?”

Ren tried to speak-truly, he did. He wanted to tell Sojiro he was fine, that he was just anxious.

Then, he  _ felt _ the world lurch around him, buildings and people tilting before his eyes. He wavered for a moment, stumbling backward. His eyes began to blur, and he barely made out the sounds of Issa and Sojiro shouting-one for help, one for some water, he couldn’t tell which-before all he saw was…

…

...blue?

“How fascinating.”

Ren’s vision snapped back into place, like a bowstring following an arrow’s flight. The muttering masses of the Academy were nowhere to be seen, replaced with rows and rows of aqua-blue pews (and similarly colored walls). In the far back, he could see a large, looming desk on top of what seemed to be a stage. For a moment, he thought he’d been taken to the Church. 

Then, he saw the stand. A familiar sight indeed-he’d seen an identical one during his trial.

...the worst day of his life. 

“Now, now. There’s no need to worry. This is not that courtroom, my friend, nor is this a place of judgement. ...that is, except for your own, of course.” The voice rang out clear as day, silken tones washing over Ren’s ears. “It is strange, I’ll admit. Given your circumstances, I would have expected something different-but then again, judgement and justice seem to have been in short supply for you.” A low chuckle rang through the room. “Now, come closer.”

With no small amount of trepidation, he approached the stand. His footsteps echoed throughout the room, like thunderous drums. As the stand grew closer, so did the desk. A man stood before it, tall and lanky with the nicest suit Ren had ever seen. His face was gaunt, adorned with a smile that looked carved from clay and stretched just a tad too far out. His nose was like that of a crow’s beak, long and angular, while his eyes bulged like they could barely stay in their sockets. 

“Thank you, dear guest,” the man spoke as Ren took the stand. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Igor. I am delighted to make your acquaintance-but, I must admit, I was not expecting to greet you so soon.”

_ Goddess, _ Ren thought.  _ I’ve been at the Academy for two minutes and I’m already having a psychotic break.  _ “What happened?” He asked. His hands gripped the wooden bars of the stand, creaking with every tiny movement he made. “Where are we?”

“Inquisitive souls get far in the world, dear guest, so I am happy to oblige.” Igor extended his hand, waving it through the air. “This is the Velvet Room. It’s a place that exists between dream and reality; between mind and matter. It is a place only those bound by a contract may enter.”

“A...contract?” Ren leaned over the stand, his grip tightening. “Are you talking about the Officers’ Academy? Is this part of some initiation or something?”

“An initiation? I suppose that’s one way to look at it-and I suppose given your circumstances, your attendance may be considered a ‘contract’ so to speak.” Igor clasped his hands together. “However...I sense something slightly different at play here. Would you allow me a small indulgence?”

Ren frowned. “I’m not quite sure what you mean by that.”

“I simply wish to see where your fate may lead.” With that, Igor ran his gloved hands across the desk. A deck of cards appeared, as if by magic, on top of it. He flicked the top of the deck with his finger tip three times, with three cards landing in front of Ren face-down. “Please, flip these over and tell me what they say.”

Ren moved his hands away from the wooden bars, scanning the cards. Was this some sort of fortune-telling? Nervously, he moved his left hand towards the cards, flipping the first one onto its side. “It...says it’s The Emperor?”

“Ah, yes. The Emperor is a card representing power and strength-but not for its own benefit; rather, it is a card that symbolizes the side of one’s self that can use that power to command and have others obey. It is an authority figure, stern and steadfast as any good ruler should be.” Igor gestured to the stand. “The second card, please.”

Ren flipped the card. “This one’s The Chariot.”

“The Chariot? Interesting...The Chariot represents taking one’s will and emotions, and channeling them in service of a singular goal. It represents taking life and pushing it forward by your own two hands.” Igor’s plastered smile seemed, eerily enough, to grow. “Now, the final card.”

Ren dutifully flipped the last card. He paused.

“What’s wrong?”

“It...it’s The Devil. That’s bad, right?”

Igor shook his head. “Not necessarily. The Devil represents obligations, choices that you have made and the consequences of them further down the road of life. All good things in life-and even some mistakes-come at a price. Whether or not you can pay it depends on just what you’ve bound yourself to.” Igor laid his hand on one more card, flinging it over to Ren. Ren caught the card in mid-air, the back facing him. “Allow me one more curiosity, my dear guest. Please, tell me what that card says.”

Ren turned the card over. His face went pale, all color drained in an instant. 

“What’s wrong?” Igor repeated.

“It…” Ren showed the card to Igor. A horrific scene lay before him: a grim reaper, lopping off the head of a king, in a field of corpses. “It’s Death.”

“Indeed it is,” Igor mused. “Really, I have to speak with our Artist sometime...he makes wonderful work, but occasionally, it leans a bit too morbid for my taste.”

“Does this mean I’m going to die?”

“We all do, eventually.” Igor laid his elbows on the desk, clasping his hands together. “However, the card itself is not a harbinger of death. Rather, it is a symbol of change and transformation. As the seasons pass, so too must phases of one’s life. Attitudes and ideas change as one becomes someone new-it is the process of life itself.” Igor let out another chuckle. “You have a very interesting destiny, indeed, if these cards are anything to go by. Whether it leads to ruin or redemption, however...”

“What does any of this even mean?” Ren held his head, the unnerving sensation he felt earlier returning in full force as Igor’s words rang in his mind. “I just...I just want to…”

“I understand. You’ve been through quite an experience, if the state of this room is anything to go by.” Igor held a hand under his chin. “You were robbed of your justice, and you wish to make your case-not just to the world, but to yourself. Though, of course, that could always change, or there may be more to it. All the same…” Igor’s grin became toothy, and Ren flinched. “You can forgive a fellow his curiosities.

“It seems as though fate has brought you here with multiple contracts to fulfil over the course of your journey. The contract between yourself and the prestigious Officer's Academy, the contract between yourself and your own sense of justice, and...a contract whose true nature is not yet revealed. Fascinating indeed. A journey with this many paths to take, and so much more to uncover...you will need all the assistance you can get.” Igor held his hands out wide. The room’s lights brightened, almost blinding Ren for a moment. “This is why we are here, in the end.”

“...we?”

As the light faded, Ren turned to his left. He recognized the desk next to him immediately-it was a defense attorney’s desk. A woman sat behind it, staring intently at Ren. Rings adorned her dress, patterned in pairs and gold in color. She held a book under the crook of her arm, one with words in a language he’d never seen before. Her white hair stood out as well, flowing like waves down her shoulders.

He turned to his right. A similar-looking woman sat casually behind the prosecutors’ desk. She had a hat not unlike an attendant for a noble, and a dress with far shorter sleeves than her counterpart. Its pattern, in contrast, had a set of target-styled circles running down the dress’ length. She too held a strange-looking book, and sported sheer white hair. 

He looked back at Igor’s desk. Next to him stood a young girl-one who, as Ren had quickly come to expect, had white hair, a blue dress, and a strange book. Her outfit seemed patterned a bit different, however, with more black and white in the ensemble than the other two.

_My fever dreams are very specifically themed,_ Ren realized. _I **really** hope that doesn’t say anything about me._

“These are my attendants-Margaret, Elizabeth, and Lavenza. They shall assist you on your journey, wherever your path takes you.” Igor looked down at Ren. “Be forewarned, however-they cannot make your choices for you. Only you can.”

“I...I see.” Ren scratched the back of his head. “Thank you for the support, I suppose? Goddess,” he muttered, “My dreams are weird.”

“We’re between dream and reality, remember?” Elizabeth tented her fingers, smirking. “I wouldn’t be so doubtful if I were you.”

“We are here to assist as best we can-but only if you accept our aid,” Margaret added.

Lavenza nodded. “Please be sure to return to this room whenever need be.”

“But...how-” Ren let out a gasp, his head beginning to pound like someone was knocking on it from the inside. “What’s...happening?”

“You’re waking up, of course. Whatever caused you to come here, its power is waning...but no need to worry.” A blue key formed in front of Ren, radiating warmth as it approached him. “You are welcome here. You will know where to find us.” As Ren’s vision faded, with the Velvet Room alongside it, Igor spoke clearly and calmly: “Please, be prepared for all that lies ahead...for good or ill. 

“Farewell for now, dear guest. We hope to see you soon.”

**Author's Note:**

> After discussing some P5/3H AU ideas with a friend, some ideas came to me. I decided to knock them out before I lost the desire to.
> 
> I've got some concepts I wanna toy with. Hopefully you enjoy them!


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